


come when i call (i wouldn't want to be anywhere else)

by neoncrayolas



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Christopher is fine I promise, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, I'm not a monster, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship, anyway, though if you were to read my fiction you might have other opinions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:00:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22037452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neoncrayolas/pseuds/neoncrayolas
Summary: Christopher has a seizure, and Eddie doesn't know who else to call.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 13
Kudos: 444





	come when i call (i wouldn't want to be anywhere else)

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during the lawsuit, cause why not throw that fun angst in there!

His phone went off with what sounded like a blaring alarm, lighting up entirely too brightly for how dark it was. Buck’s fingers scrambled to grab the phone off his nightstand, ready to chuck it at the wall to get it to shut up – why was there an alarm going off at this ungodly hour anyway? It’s not like he had anywhere to be – when he realized it wasn’t an alarm going off: someone was calling him.

Sighing deeply and fumbling for the ‘answer’ button with his eyes still closed, Buck burrowed deeper into his pillow and barely managed to get the phone to his ear, mumbling a sleepy “’Lo?”

Nothing.

Someone was there though. Buck could hear them breathing.

“Is someone there?” He huffed, already moving to take the phone away from his ear to hang up. “Because if not, I’m hanging up and going back to –”

“Can you come to the hospital?”

Buck’s eyes shot open, and he sat straight up in bed, wide awake. “Eddie?”

Once again, nothing.

Buck swung his legs over the side of the bed with a grunt, looking for his boots. “What hospital? Are you okay? Is Christopher okay?”

A pause, then –

“UCLA Medical Center.”

Buck paused at the break in Eddie’s voice – like he was choking back a sob. The phone almost fell from the place between his shoulder and ear, and he grabbed at it. “Eddie. What’s going on?”

“Please, just come,” and this time the sob ripped its way out of Eddie’s throat, and clawed at something inside Buck’s heart.

“I’m coming, Eddie, okay? I’ll be right there.”

Buck didn’t bother lacing his boots, thundering down the stairs, grabbing his keys and wallet, and shooting out the door.

~

He didn’t bother to stop at the nurse’s station when he got there, Eddie having texted him the room number on his way over there. Bolting up the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator, he practically threw himself through the door, stopping dead at the sight of Eddie pacing back and forth in front of a half-closed door.

A sigh of relief escaped Buck – Eddie had told him nothing about what was going on, so Buck didn’t know if Eddie was hurt, if _Christopher_ was hurt, or his _abuela_ – Buck had a sinking feeling though, when he realized Eddie wasn’t the one who was hurt.

“Eddie?” Buck called softly, and Eddie’s head snapped up, looking at Buck like he wasn’t quite seeing him.

“Buck? What are you doing here?” Eddie asked hoarsely, with not nearly as much malice as Buck was expecting.

“Eds, you called me,” Buck said, his voice still soft as he walked down the hallway, stopping a few feet from the shorter man. “Don’t you remember?”

Eddie stared at him blankly for a moment, before muttering, “You shouldn’t be here. The lawyer said –”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what the lawyer said,” Buck said in disbelief. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t come when you called?”

Eddie bit his lip, looking pointedly away from Buck, into the room he’d been pacing in front of. His eyes filled with tears again, at whatever he was looking at.

“Christopher had a seizure last night,” he finally whispered, still not looking at Buck. “He – Buck, he hasn’t had one in _years_ , and I – I thought I was going to lose him, and I’m sorry, Buck, but I didn’t know who else to call –”

“Fuck, Eddie,” Buck whispered, reaching out to put a hand on Eddie’s shoulder, relieved when the older man didn’t shrug it off. He peaked around Eddie into the room, to see Chris sleeping on his side, seemingly breathing easy.

“He’s fine now,” Eddie whispered. “It didn’t last very long, but it was long enough to scare me and to call 9-1-1.”

“Did the doctors say anything? Why did it happen? Did it –” Buck couldn’t bring himself to say ‘ _do any damage’_ because he couldn’t bear that thought.

Eddie shrugged helplessly. “They don’t know why it happened – I guess I’ve always known he’s been prone to them, but since he hadn’t had one in so long, I stopped looking for the signs. I _knew_ better than to –”

“Stop right there, Eddie,” Buck said, shaking his head. “Do not blame yourself for this – this could’ve happened any time, with anyone, and no one could have seen it coming or prevented it.”

Eddie looked at him for a long time with something Buck couldn’t quite place.

“Sounds familiar,” he finally said quietly, and Buck startled.

“We’re not talking about the tsunami, we’re talking about you and your son,” Buck said firmly. This is _not_ why he got out of bed, thank you very much. He would continue to wallow in any way he pleased.

“No, but it’s literally the same thing,” Eddie argued, and Buck sighed.

“Fine, if I stop blaming myself for the damn tsunami, you don’t get to blame yourself for this,” Buck said, rolling his eyes and wondering how they’d even gotten onto this subject.

“But Buck –”

“I swear to god, Eddie,” Buck growled. “ _This. Is. Not. Your. Fault_.”

Eddie blinked rapidly, trying to dissuade the tears in his eyes again, but failed – and he crumbled.

“I was just – I was so scared, Buck,” Eddie said, burying his face into his hands, and Buck surged forward, wrapping his arms around the older man’s shoulders and pulling Eddie into him. Whatever resolve Eddie had left disappeared, and he wrapped his own arms around Buck, burying his face into his shoulder. Buck could feel Eddie’s tears soaking through his shirt, and brought a hand up to his head, stroking his hair.

“Eddie, I know,” Buck whispered, and he peered over Eddie’s shoulder into the hospital room, taking comfort from Christopher’s sleeping form, still breathing easy, the monitor he was hooked up to beeping at a normal rhythm. “I’m sure it was terrifying, as terrifying as – as not knowing where he was for hours, thinking the worst. And I’m sorry, Eddie, I’m sorry I wasn’t there, but I’m glad you called, because you shouldn’t have to go through something like this alone.”

That only seemed to make Eddie sob harder, and Buck held him a little tighter.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been there, Eds,” Buck whispered again, close to Eddie’s ear, and this time, Eddie pulled back, looking at Buck through red eyes.

“But you came when I called, and that’s more important than anything else that’s happened,” he said.

“Of course I did. Eddie, I – I would always –”

“Daddy?”

They’re interrupted by a small voice coming from inside the hospital room, and Eddie is there in an instant, taking Christopher’s small hand in his own.

“Hey, superman, how are you feeling?”

“My head hurts,” Christopher whispered, and Buck felt his heart clench as he stood in the doorway, not sure if he should intrude or not.

Eddie leaned over to kiss Christopher’s head, stroking his hair. “Well, I’m not sure he can cure headaches, but there is someone here who would love to see you if you’re up for it.”

Christopher turned over in bed and his eyes lit up, and _dammit_ , Buck’s own resolve crumpled, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“Buck!”

The pure joy in Christopher’s voice was enough to carry Buck into the next century, and he stepped into the room, going to Christopher’s bedside, standing across from Eddie.

“Hey buddy,” Buck said softly, leaning down to kiss Christopher’s forehead. “Heard you got into some trouble – thought we talked about this, no more scaring your dad or I.”

Christopher giggled, and reached for Buck’s hand. “It’s not – _my_ fault. Besides, I – like waking up to you – and Daddy both here.”

“Oh, so that’s what this was? Just a scheme to get us in the same room?” Eddie said playfully, but Buck could see the relief in his eyes, knowing that Christopher was awake and talking and joking. He leaned down to kiss Christopher’s forehead again, lingering a moment longer than before.

“I’m okay, Dad,” Chris said softly, reaching out his other hand to put it on Eddie’s.

“Yes, you are, superman,” Eddie whispered, squeezing his son’s hand. “Yes, you are.”

He glanced back up at Buck, and Buck knew, in that moment, that everything would be okay.

He was going to drop the lawsuit first thing in the morning – he’d find another way to get his job back. And no matter what happened, he knew that Eddie and Christopher would be by his side. There really wasn’t much more he could ask for.

Tentatively reaching across the bed, he grabbed at the hand that Chris wasn’t clutching, and Eddie let him take it with a small smile.

Yeah, they’d be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! :)


End file.
